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As for Udet in the summer of 1918, Peter Kilduff located a report in the Nachrichtenblatt der Luftstreitkräfte, (2 Jg., Nr. 30, 19 September 1918), in which a letter taken from a French POW (of a two-seater escadrille) was translated and reported in the 'Nachrichtenblatt" for German morale. I have no doubt that it refers to Udet, and is authentic.
"A comrade was attacked twice while at 5000 meters altitude and within our lines. The second time by a single Fokker which was painted red all over quite far behind out lines. (Over the Reims mountain forest, according to reports). Despite all manner of aerobatics by our pilot, who was the best in our squadron, the Fokker did not relent (from) 5000 to 3000 metres and fired his machine gun three times at our man from the somewhat great distance of 150-200 metres and out 30 holes into (our) crate. They had to land with the engine switched off because of a hit that emptied the fuel tank. The machine had to be dismantled (i.e. scrapped). The observer believed they were as good as shot down when he saw how this German sprang about him and shot up his crate. Furthermore, this red-painted machine has been talked about several times recently. In any event, in it sits a pilot equal to our Fonck."
Fonck, by the way, was another exponent of 'scientific fighting' in my opinion.
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Greg VanWyngarden
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